Coco Chanel speech

Bonjour, I am Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, you may know me as Coco Chanel. First, I will tell
you about my childhood. I was born in August 1883 in a hospice for the poor in Saumur,
France. I had 3 siblings. At the age of twelve, my father left my siblings and I after our
mother died. Fortunately, the nuns at the orphanage were very caring and they taught me to
sew. I quickly realized how much I loved this and began to practice day and night. Early on,
one of my favorite items of clothing to make was hats. During my 8 years at the orphanage,
I had plenty of time to practice my sewing and design skills.

After leaving the orphanage, I opened a hat shop with my sister in Deauville, France. A few
years later, I opened a couture house on Rue Cambon in Paris. Working at these two shops
helped realize I loved fashion and wanted to do even more for women in the fashion world.

At this time in history, women’s clothing was mostly uncomfortable and not practical for
everyday wear. By using more flexible and less expensive materials I created a new style of
clothing for women. There are more than just dresses in fashion. Fashion is not something
that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas,
the way we live, what is happening. I made more than just dresses. I made the floating scarf,
the shoe string shoulder wrap, even the collarless cardigan jacket. I am most proud of
making fashionable and comfortable women’s clothing more accessible to all women, not
just the wealthy.
I died January 10, 1971 in Paris, France of natural causes. Thank you for coming to take a
journey through my stylish life.